How People Learn

 

Introduction

To make learning effective, organizations must learn how people learn things. There will be a summarization of the different theories about how people generally learn, individual learning, learning styles, and 'learning to learn.

 

What is learning?

Kim (1993) defined learning as ‘increasing one's capacity to take action. It can be described as the modification of behaviour through experience. Pedler et al (1989) made a distinction between learning and Development. They see learning as being concerned with increasing knowledge or a higher degree of an existing skill. In contrast, Development is more towards a different state of being or functioning.

Types of learning

1. Instrumental learning – Mastering the perfect way to do the job after catching the basics.

 

2. Cognitive learning – Improvement of knowledge and understanding makes the outcome.

 

3. Affective learning – Attitude development and strong emotions generate the result.

 

4. Self-reflective learning – Creating new knowledge by individual thinking and self-discipline (Harrison, 2005).

Effective learning, Birchall and Lyons (1995)

An atmosphere where people are encouraged to experiment and take chances, where mistakes are accepted, but where there are ways for those involved to learn from their failures, is necessary for an effective learning process to occur at the individual level.

 Theories about learning

Reinforcement theory

This theory is based on the work of Skinner (1974). In 1977 Gagne developed his stimulus-response theory, which is related to some number of factors, namely:

• drive –Driving things to make them learn.

• stimulus –The learning process must stimulate the learner.

• response –People must get relevant benefits by learning. For instance, skills, attitudes, and performance.

• reinforcement –Above responses must be established by guidance and teaching until total accomplishment.

 Cognitive learning theory

Cognitive learning is the process of internalizing information taken in as principles, concepts, or facts to obtain knowledge and understanding. Students can be thought of as potent information processing units.

Experiential learning theory

People actively participate in their education (Reynolds et al, 2002). When people learn through their experiences by reflecting on them to understand and apply them, this is known as experiential learning. Therefore, learning is a "construction" of meaning made by the individual through experience.

Constructivists like Rogers (1983) hold that facilitation—creating an atmosphere in which individuals can be encouraged to think and act in ways that allow them to make the most of their experience—will promote experiential learning.

Social learning theory

According to the social learning theory, social interaction is necessary for effective learning. Wenger (1998) proposed that our main data of learning are the "community of practice" (teams of individuals who work together and have a common area of expertise). According to Bandura (1977), social interactions serve as the catalyst for a series of knowledge activities that make up learning.

Learning styles

Learning theories outline how individuals typically learn, although each learner will use their own learning theories for a given kind of instruction.

Learning style inventory of Kolb

He has defined the above stages as follows:

•Concrete experience – this could be planned or accidental.

• Reflective observation –actively thinking about the experience and its uniqueness.

• Abstract conceptualization (theorizing) – generating concepts derived from basics that could be applied in similar situations.

• Active experimentation – testing the theories and ideas in new situations practically. This will encourage new concepts.

The cycle continues again. The essence of Detail and explanation is that it is a straightforward explanation of how concepts are created from experience and then used to direct the selection of future experiences.

The Honey and Mumford s’ styles of learning

1. Activists who genuinely engage in new experiences without bias and delight in fresh challenges.

2. Reflectors who take a step back and consider fresh encounters from many perspectives. They gather information, reflect on it, and then draw a conclusion.

3. Theorists who incorporate and use their observations as logical theories. They frequently strive for perfection.

4. pragmatists who are eager to test new concepts, theories, and methods to see if they function.

These four learning types are not mutually exclusive, however. One individual could be an activist/pragmatist, a reflector and a thinker, a theorist/pragmatist, or even a philosopher/pragmatist.

Learning to learn

People continuously learn, picking up knowledge, skills, and insight. However, if they "learn how to learn," they will learn more efficiently. According to Honey (1998), learning to learn is the process of acquiring knowledge and skills.

• provide a base for organizing and planning to learn;

• identify what has been learnt and what to improve;

• share knowledge with other people for their benefit;

• accessing the quality of learnt things;

• apply learnt knowledge in practical scenarios;

• enhance the learning process itself, paying continual attention to how individuals learn, not just what they learn.

Learning curve

The term "learning curve" describes the amount of time it takes a novice performer to become proficient at a skill or a career. This is referred to as the "experienced worker's standard" at times (EWS).

    Learning curve

The efficiency of the teaching, the learner's experience, innate aptitude, and level of interest all affect how quickly they learn new things.

                                                                       Rates of learning

Learning frequently occurs in steps, with one or more peaks where further advancement is stopped. This might be the case when students need a break to consolidate their prior knowledge since, they are unable to continuously enhance their skill levels or rate of work.

Stepped learning

When creating a training module that outlines the lessons to be learned and the training, It is frequently preferable to move forward step-by-step because doing so will help you reach the necessary levels of expertise and quickness. For example, focusing on one or a little portion of a job at a time, reiterating it, and then gradually adding various components, combining at every level.

References

Kim, D H (1993) The link between individual and organizational learning, Sloane Management Review

Pedler, M, Boydell, T and Burgoyne, J (1989) Towards the learning company, Management Education and Development

Harrison, R (2005) Learning and Development, 4th edn, CIPD, London

Birchall, D and Lyons, L (1995) Creating Tomorrow’s Organisation, Pitman, London

Skinner, B F (1974) About Behaviourism, Cape, London

Gagne, R M (1977) The Conditions of Learning, 3rd edn, Rinehart and Winston, New York

Reynolds, J, Caley, L and Mason, R (2002) How Do People Learn?, CIPD, London

Rogers, C R (1983) Freedom to Learn, Merrill, Columbus, OH

 

Wenger, E (1998) Communities of Practice: Learning, meaning and identity, Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge

Bandura, A (1977) Social Learning Theory, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

Kolb, D A, Rubin, I M and McIntyre, J M (1974) Organizational Psychology: An experimental approach, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ

 

Honey, P (1998) The debate starts here, People Management, 1 October, pp 28–29

Honey, P and Mumford, A (1996) The Manual of Learning Styles, 3rd edition, Honey Publications,Maidenhead

 

    

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